Love Life Eternity
by FBI Bones
Summary: One shot began the spiral. One word broke it. One moment began it all over again. Sequel to The Missing Piece.
1. Two Guys and A Girl

_Disclaimer: Bones and any of it's affiliated characters and locations do not belong to me._

_Summary: One shot began the spiral. One word broke it. One moment began it all over again. Sequel to The Missing Piece._

_Author's Notes: Highly advisable to read Flick of the Switch and The Missing Piece before this._

Chapter 1: Two Guys and a Girl

Booth flexed his fingers; the leather of the steering wheel was warm and soft and a minute did not pass when his eyes darted from the beginnings of early morning traffic to the women asleep in the passenger seat.

Temperance was sat wrapped in the standard-issue-hospital-blanket and sound asleep. The steady sounds of her breathing beginning to lull Booth into a dangerous almost slumber.

Adrenaline rushes have advantages and disadvantages. Whilst you have them you don't feel tired, you can move faster, you're more agile.

But they also make you fearless, you don't feel pain, you're driven to a perfect focus, which although good at times is bad at others; you finish the fight and you can't focus on anything.

Your blood roars in your ears, you're heart pounds, vertigo sets in and the worst of all? Complete and utter exhaustion.

Grateful that he had managed to stay awake this long because although he had slept it was disrupted, uneasy, painful. It wasn't at all resting. In fact he had woken up feeling worse than he had when falling asleep if he admitted it to himself.

He pulled up and looked at Temperance. Certain that now he was past ready to just collapse where he was and sleep there was no way he would be able to carry her from the car he realised that he would have to wake her.

"Bones," he whispered lightly "Bones, wake up," when she did not respond he touched her arm and reeled back, clutching his nose to stem the flow of blood that streamed forth in reaction to the blow he had just received.

"Booth!" she exclaimed, pulling her arms free of the blanket "I didn't… are you okay?"

"'m fine' he replied, his voice sounded nasal "it s'okay,"

Temperance frowned and took his hand away from his nose, hissing in sympathy "I really didn't… come o,"' she reached over and took his keys from the ignition, getting out of the car and not looking to see if she was being followed.

Parker was staying with Angela's next door neighbour and had been since he had been woken in the early hours by his original carer – the artist – and was not to be attending school that day.

Angela would be bringing him over in a few hours, once they had all manage to get at least _some _sleep.

Yes they had work but it all depended on how long Booth could keep Temperance in bed as to whether or not they went in at all. That was not meant in any way in which there would be any underlying meaning. He was far to tired to even contemplate it.

He smiled as he was forced to take a seat on the edge of the bathtub before she took a few Kleenex from the box on top of the toilet tank and removed his hand.

"Bones-"

"Shh…" she admonished, taking the hand not originally used to stem the flow of blood and adjusting it until it was pinching the tissues over his still bleeding nose.

"It's not broken," she said, wiping at his upper lip and free hand with a damp tissue, dropping them, once used, into the trashcan next to her "I'll just get some ice," she turned to leave and stopped when his hand came to rest on her stomach.

He looked at her quietly as she stared down at his hand on her abdomen, this was the only way he could think of to get her attention and it seemed it had worked.

"Booth…" she began. Her hands were held almost in a surrendering fashion, well away from her stomach, almost as if it were her will that he do as he wished.

She vaguely noticed that his hand was no longer pinching his nose and it was now resting in his lap. His hand that is. Not his nose.

Silence was between them. He did not answer and she did not continue. An entire conversation held between two sets of very tired, very passionate eyes.

_I trust you._

_I know._

_I'm sorry._

_Don't be._

Moving slowly and without taking her eyes from him she brought her hands down to the hem of her filthy shirt, lifting it a little. Barely suppressing a gasp as his hand came into contact with her skin. It felt hot, and tendrils of that heat ran through her, calming her, soothing her.

_Trust me?_

_Said I did didn't I?_

_Love me?_

_Forever._

He got to his feet, removing his hand slowly as she lowered her shirt once more. He leant over and smiled at her intake of breath as his lips slid over hers gently.

Lips of velvet. Eyes of fire. Touch of an angel.

A sinner. A saint. A goddess. A devil.

His hands caressed her arms and wrapped around her hands, bringing them up to his chest, releasing them as they began a journey round his neck, meeting as ten slim fingers tangled in thick hair.

In desperate need of touch, or love. This kiss was not about lust or need or sex. It was about reassurance. A reality check. A wonderful, attention grasping, emotional roller coaster ride of a reality check.

* * *

"Angela," Parker asked, kicking his legs and bouncing slightly in his seat.

"Yeah," Angela took a left.

"Is mo–Bones okay?"

Angela smiled at the slip-up "she's fine sweetie. Your daddy and her… they needed to rest a little,"

"Did the bad man hurt her?" he seemed genuinely concerned. Blue eyes framed by dirty blonde hair, his hands clasped in his lap even as he continued to kick slightly "did he hurt her? Is she hurt like daddy was?"

"Oh … no sweetie. She's fine. Just very tired I think. Being kidnapped… it's not a nice thing but she's all right now,"

"Daddy's looking after her?" he enquired, well he had to make sure _someone _was taking care of Bones. She looked after him and it had to be _somebody's _job to make sure she was looked after.

"Your daddy's looking after her," Angela confirmed.

"Good," he nodded his head resolutely "that's v'ry good. Daddy's good at lookin' after people,"

He was silent the rest of the trip to his home. Perfectly content now that the safety of 'his Bones' was no longer at risk.

* * *

Meeting Jack and Zack on the doorstep had not been a part of the plan and they seemed to be strangely shocked to see Angela there until she rolled her eyes and pointed to the small boy clambering the steps to the door like a man on a mission.

"Mr Addy… Doctor Hodgins… Miss Montenegro… what're you doing here?" Goodman asked, getting out of his car and surveying the squint squad through confused eyes.

"Dropping Parker off," was Angela's reply "what're you doing here?"

She could not help but laugh at the unified "checking up on them," that followed.

Goodman cleared his throat. Jack adjusted his jacket in a manner that suggested that he was a little embarrassed by this fact and Zack just shifted from foot to foot.

They waited a moment, avoiding eye contact before Parker, stood with his hands on his hips glaring at them all, asked; "so we goin' in or not?"

* * *

Jack's hand slapped over Angela's mouth, muffling a shriek of "aww!" at the sight that met them upon entry to the lounge.

Booth was lying flat on his back on the couch, Temperance lying for the most part of top of him, her head pillowed neatly on his chest. Hands clutching the shirt her auburn hair was spilling over in a slackened grip.

One of his arms lay casually round her waist whilst his other hand rested atop her head, entangled in her hair as if he fell asleep petting it.

"That is the cutest thing I have ever seen!" Angela hissed upon her release from the shorter man "camera? Does anyone have a camera?"

"No," Jack replied simply.

Zack just stood staring at them as if it were something he couldn't quite get his head round, when his jaw began to drop however Dr. Goodman closed it firmly with a roll of his eyes and a shake of his head.

Parker assessed the situation. Angela wanted a camera. He knew where the camera was. Daddy and Bones were asleep but they were in the middle of the lounge and he couldn't find any pictures of mommy and daddy together like that…

"Top shelf of daddy's closet," he rocked back on his heels, looking almost smug.

Angela grinned at him and dashed off to retrieve the desired item. No one could tell whether she was smiling because she could take her picture or whether she wanted to go into a certain FBI Agent's bedroom.

Doctor Goodman was giving Parker an odd look. Parker stared him down, giving Angela an innocent smile as she returned, camera in hand.

The flash of the camera was what woke them up, sleepy eyed and mussed up hair as they both blinked at the 'intruders' confused in a rather sweet way. The flash went again as Angela took another.

"Wha's goin' on?" Booth looked over his shoulder, resting on his elbows.

Temperance blinked at them, the beginnings of an annoyed expression toying with the corners of her conscious self.

"Hullo daddy," Parker leaned over the arm of the couch, allowing it to support his entire weight as he lifted his feet from the floor.

Booth lay back "hey there sport," he smiled at his son who smiled just as widely back.

Realising who was with her and where she was lying Temperance shot to her feet, patting nervously at her hair and straightening her shirt and pants.

"Relax sweetie," Angela chuckled as Booth sat up, swinging Parker into his lap and allowing him to settle there.

"I'm gonna… take a shower," she said, she still sounded half asleep and Booth had the idea she was probably still exhausted but there was no way she was going to go to sleep again.

Not until nightfall any way.

"So about you and Brennan…" Jack began, grinning mischievously.

Doctor Goodman treated him with a disapproving glare "congratulations," he nodded "to you both."

"Daddy what's Dr. Goo'man talkin' 'bout?" Parker looked up, avoiding settling completely against Booth.

Booth opened his mouth and closed it again, brushing a stray strand of his son's hair from his eyes "Bones is… she's gonna have a baby."

Parker's eyes widened "wow," he breathed "that's so cool!"

Even Jack couldn't help but laugh at that statement.

* * *

She could hear them all talking in the lounge and was not at all bothered by Booth telling Parker about the… pregnancy at all. After all, it was as much Parker's right to know as anyone else and Parker was Booth's son.

The water from the shower head hammered down and tattooed the walls, roaring slightly upon impact but the louder it was the better it felt. Same as the water was a little hotter than she would normally have it.

Filth and grime slid down the drain in a murky whirl of a mess; bit like her head had felt before she had gotten and as the water that slid from her body became clear as it drained her mind did also.

The clouds of fog that had cloaked it for hours, the fear that had embedded itself so deeply into herself that she had lashed out and nearly broken the nose of the man she loved.

And the general discomfort was washed away and as she left for the bedroom wrapped in a bathrobe with her damp hair hanging limply about her shoulders she felt much better. Clean.

Both of dirt and of the memories of the night before that now seemed a lifetime away.

"Hey," Booth said as she rummaged through the wardrobe for a pair of jeans to go with the white shirt she had picked out.

"Hey," she replied, smiling a little in a way that was discreet but made her look that much prettier. Her sapphire eyes lighting up.

"Goodman's taken Zack back to the lab. Says he's gonna try and get him to work on his dissertation until we get there,"

"We?" she asked, eyebrow cocked.

He shook his head sarcastically "yeah we. I learnt first hand that trying to keep you home is a bad idea,"

She froze in the process of buttoning her shirt "I'm sorry… I-"

"Quit apologising Bones." he cut her off "I kicked you out and I didn't notice something was wrong–well more so than the stomach bug it appeared you had, speaking of which; morning sickness?"

She frowned at him. She'd been perfectly free of the nausea this morning–

He couldn't help but laugh as she bolted into the bathroom, the sounds of semi-dry heaving caused him to hurry after her though.

Holding her head as she vomited he whispered to her gently "maybe you ought to eat," he got to his feet as she pulled back and filled a glass from by the sink with water.

Temperance shook her head, taking the glass of water passed to her and slumping against the toilet bowl tiredly.

"Angela's making breakfast. It might make you feel better," he held out his hand for her to take so he could pull her to her feet.

She didn't take it.

"I don't know what I'm doing," she breathed "Booth I have no idea… this wasn't part of… I never-"

He crouched in front of her, taking the glass and setting it on the floor before he took her hands "hey," he answered just as quietly "we can do this together okay?"

"That little devil has already torn us apart once and I have no intention of ever letting you out of my sight again," he tugged slightly and she fell easily against his chest, her arms wrapping round him a second after his enveloped her tightly.

"Never?" she asked, her voice muffled against his chest.

"Never," he repeated, sighing contentedly.

They stayed in each other's arms for a moment before Temperance pulled back "you smell," she said simply.

Booth looked playfully indignant "thanks," as she pulled him to his feet he didn't notice her making him back towards the shower and fell backwards into it.

Temperance could not help but laugh at the sight of Booth sprawled on the floor of the shower fully clothed and now drenched with cold water as she turned the tap.

"Bones," he growled the chattering teeth as the icy water cascaded over his head but she was already gone.

_Author's Notes: Parker! __Woo! __Sorry, he's just so cute! __Oh yeah he reacted the way he did to 'the revelation' because I seriously cannot see him feeling at all threatened by a new baby. He just doesn't seem the type. __Okay that was fluffy but seriously I did say I wasn't gonna update 'til I got back from my holiday but I couldn't wait so if ya'll like the series as much as ya seem to you were probably desperate! Lol._

_Please review but the usual don't flame_


	2. Parker’s Forever

_Author's Notes: So how are ya all? Good I hope. I um… well this is different I can say that much… _

_Warning: Yeah um… first bit… is sexual, basically… which sounds perverse from the chapter title… yeah so … yeah serious warning though._

Chapter 2: Parker's Forever

The wall was cold and damp against her back, the grit of the brickwork pressing into the bare skin of her shoulders and arms as he pinned her against the wall.

"Rueben…" she panted as he leaned in close to her, pressing his body flush against hers, every contour of their bodies moulding together in perfect unison, light kisses moving up from between her breasts up to her throat were sending her into a glorious oblivion.

"Shh Holly," he growled "wouldn't want your daddy to hear us," his low drawl in her throat as seductive if not more so than his hands moving over her thighs, lifting her short skirt just that little bit higher, nails raking against her ivory skin.

Holly nodded; closing her eyes and breathing even more heavily in the energy it was taking not to cry out in sheer pleasure.

"I can show you a world you've never dreamed of," he whispered "do you want that baby?" her skirt lifted to round her waist his hands sliding possessively over yet more exposed flesh.

She nodded, not daring to speak.

"I didn't hear you," he sing-songed, his tongue creating a silvery trail up the column of her throat.

"I … yes… yes Rueben show me it… take me there… Oh God… just… don't… Rueben…" she hissed through her teeth.

Rueben grinned into her neck and straightened up, sliding one hand into her hair he kissed her with dominant force, plunging his tongue into the warm cavity that was her mouth, savouring the sickly sweet taste of peaches and cream that assaulted his senses before pulling away again.

Holly slumped in his arms; her lips swollen and bruised from the most intense kiss she had ever participated in.

He smiled at her and she screamed as she saw the elongated canine teeth glinting in the lights from the club next to them. Her knee collided with his crotch and her skirt fell back into place as she hurtled down the alleyway, her heeled shoes slowing her down considerably as she rounded the corner into yet another alley.

She glanced behind her but she could not see Rueben anywhere. That was until she turned back once she had collided with something firm and solid. Rueben's chest.

The hands that had been causing so much pleasure a mere moment ago were like vices on her arms, holding her in place. She could not scream and she could not escape, fear paralysed her like nothing she had ever felt before.

Rueben smirked at her one last time before he struck her neck with animalistic force. Pulling his teeth out as the artery in Holly's neck was punctured and blood spurted from it, splashing against the back of his throat, momentarily choking him before he regained control of his gag reflex and swallowed mouthfuls of the delicious tasting fluid.

* * *

Booth left the sopping clothes he'd stripped out of once he had managed to stand up and turn off the icy torrent of water that cascaded down his rapidly awakening body on the tiled floor of the bathroom. Deciding to move them later and watching as he towelled his hair dry a puddle form around the clothes.

He was working today even after last night or … well… this morning's ordeal and so pulled on his designer pants and went back into the bathroom to do his teeth before adding a crisp white shirt, a tie hung loosely round his neck, socks and shoes to his ensemble and leaving the bedroom.

* * *

"So…" Jack began uneasily, mentally cursing whatever God it was that had possessed him to check on the couple in the first place.

The group had moved to the kitchen, Angela by the toaster waiting for the latest batch to pop up as Goodman and Zack had snagged the last two before they left and Jack had helped himself to a fair few slices.

"How are you feeling?" Angela asked seriously, her large brown eyes intense and full of worry; the kind of love only the best of friends can share burning like small candles in them.

"I'm…' she hesitated for a moment. She had felt scared, alone, dirty, lost, worried, on-edge, nervous and now… now she was at peace, secure, calm. She felt loved. "I'm good Ange,"

Angela raised an eyebrow "you sure?" She asked before jumping in surprise as the toast popped out. She turned to see to it.

"I'm sure' Temperance smiled a little, taking the plate stacked high with the toast now cut into large triangles and placing it in the middle of the table for people to help themselves too.

"Bones," Parker spoke with the air of someone forced to be patient and a little irritated by what to him was mindless chatter.

She turned "yeah,"

"Did the bad man hurt you? Did he hurt you like he hurt mommy?" the voice took a sudden change; from the smart … young man even if he was only five, to that of a scared little boy. The same voice used the night that Rebecca was… the night Rebecca was taken away.

Angela stopped pouring the kettle and Jack paused a slice of hot-buttered toast half way to his mouth as they avidly waited for the response.

Temperance looked from one to the other, seeing they were of little help she crouched in front of Parker and took his hands in her own. Trying to figure out what to tell him, a lie would hurt and she refused to lie to Parker. He had been her rock, her support and her best friend for the half a year in which she felt like she had nothing.

"Parker," she licked her lips and took a breath "there are millions and millions of people on this planet and lots of them aren't very nice, in fact lots are very, very bad people. The man that hurt your mom, well he's in prison now."

"The man that took me away… he hurt his niece very badly too; she's gone to see your mom now, and he hurt me a little bit and scared me quite badly but your dad he… he helped me. I'm okay now," she said suddenly noticing the tears creeping down the child's face "I'm okay."

She wrapped her arms round the tiny shaking frame hugging him tightly and burying her face into the mess of curls on his head "I'm okay… shh… it's all right Parker… I'm fine…"

"I heard… I heard…" he choked out.

Not noticing Booth stood in the doorway, a silent spectator, she continued to comfort the son that was not hers "what? Parker you heard what?"

"Angela was t-talkin' to… Mrs.. P- Pritchard and she said… said that someone g-gotted shot and … and…" he hiccupped, unable to continue with the sentence.

"But she spoke to you afterwards right? You knew I was fine, you saw me earlier," she pulled back enough to see the flushed and tear streaked face of her charge.

He wiped his eyes on the back of his hand and pulled away completely "she did and I saw you but I just suddenly thoughted what if you did got shotted. I don't want you to die ever Bones. I want you to be here forever and ever,"

Booth exhaled short and sharp and smiled, leaning in the doorjamb, she looked up at him, smiled then smiled at Parker "I'm not going anywhere Parker. I'm staying right here as long as you and your dad want me here,"

"Don't ever want you to go," Parker clung to her neck again "love you Bones. Love you forever,"

Tears pricked her eyes, but for once tears of happiness, of emotion burning bright in her heart and filling her chest with warmth "I love you to Parker," she whispered.

Booth looked at Angela and Jack a moment, not a commanding look just a questioning one which Angela grasped and Jack frowned at as Angela went to pull him from the room. Another look and Jack followed his companion.

Temperance stood up a moment later, leaving a no longer crying and much calmer Parker stood next to her.

"Don't want you to go ever either," Booth half smirked, half pouted, eyes twinkling.

She rolled her eyes and turned back to Parker "why don't you have some breakfast? You're coming to the lab with me and your dad today,"

Parker's eyes instantly lit up and he clambered onto a chair at the table and proceeded to attempt to butter himself a slice of almost cold toast.

* * *

"The remains that came in this morning–shortly after Mr Addy and I arrived were found in a dumpster behind a new club down town," Dr Goodman explained in his normal tone of all seriousness.

Booth had his hands in his pockets and nodded, his jaw set in the normal look of frustration that painted his features every time a new case came in. Cases like this one.

Temperance was lifting some of the bones that were still partially covered in decomposing and rotting flesh, peering at them with the same scrutiny which she used on most other things in her life.

Zack looked over her shoulder as much as he could but stayed and good distance a way unsure of exactly what he had to do whilst Jack had his arms crossed and his stature was tense.

Parker was in Angela's office once more as she showed him pictures projected onto the wall, the same way she had shown Cullen's daughter when she was sick.

"Female, mid to late teen years, I'd say about seventeen. Time of death approximately ten days to a fortnight ago," Temperance reported squinting slightly as she leaned in closer to the strings of tendons and flesh clung to the neck like elastic bands.

"What is it?" Booth asked, stepping forwards a little, recognising the look on her face as one she used when something was puzzling to her; had no obvious reason or any that could be conjured to her mind as quickly as other things seemed too.

"Zack what do you think this is?" Temperance stepped sideways a little and pointed to the area. It appeared torn as opposed to simply disintegrated, marks on the bone beneath were about a centimetre deep and cone shaped, the widest part reaching no more than five millimetres across.

Zack leaned in to get a closer look "from first analysis it looks like the skin was ripped, pierced here," he pointed 'and here. Breaching the bone in these two areas," gestured to the holes in the shoulder bone "possibly an animal of some sort? But the indentations seem too large for the canine teeth. A dog is the only animal that comes to mind but there should be other marks if it was," he too was bemused by the lesions to the remains of the latest discovered victim of the city.

Temperance nodded "Hodgins, I want you to work the samples we retrieved for you at the scene–do you have everything you need from the remains themselves?" She knew what she thought might have created the marks but decided not to voice her thoughts too soon.

Learnt from experience that idle speculation gets in the way of real facts. Of the truth.

Jack straightened up "I'm good," he said, retreating to his testing lab.

"Zack, we need to test the marks for DNA samples. Maybe it can tell us what kind of animal it was, if animal at all. They seem to fit the description of holes made by a kitchen utensil, a barbecue fork for example," Temperance took off her latex gloves and dropped them into the trash can nearby as Zack nodded his understanding and went to begin his task.

Temperance headed for her office, Booth followed, she did not notice him as she leant against her desk, one arm round her stomach, her eyes closed.

"You okay?" he asked softly.

She jumped and turned "I'm fine," she busied herself searching through the case files on her desk as if looking for something in particular which she wasn't "just a little… Morning sickness. It'll pass," she sighed inaudibly "It'll have too,"

"You know you're not going to be able to keep about your normal routines now you're pregnant you know that don't you?" Booth asked, it suddenly dawning on him they were walking down yet another dark tunnel only this time without the flash light to guide them.

She wrinkled her nose "I can keep going for as long as necessary. It's only a month gone,"

"Yeah but-"

"Booth. It's fine," she snapped.

He put his hands up in surrender "only asking," trying to hide the hurt expression that was trying to break onto his face "only asking," he whispered in repetition. She did not hear him.

Deciding it was a momentary hormonal in-balance he excused himself from her office and went to find Parker.

_Author's Notes: I don't know jack about vampire killers and am just completely making it up but I thought it would be different to actually see/read the homicide taking place so tell me if it's any good would ya? Oh and could someone tell me if the rating needs to go up?_


	3. Carson

_Author's NOtes: I__ would like to thank mendenbar for the information, even if inadvertently given on vampire killers it really has helped!__ Ya remember Mack don't ya? Well I liked him. I don't know about anyone else but I really did and so I have kept him he is mine and I guess I own Holly and Dwayne, (unfortunately) Rueben and his vampire friends too._

Chapter 3: Carson

"As far as the test results show the indentations on the bone of the victim were caused by a material similar to that to cap human teeth," Zack reported, showing the papers with the written results on to Temperance.

Temperance nodded and took the papers, scanning them with a slightly furrowed brow.

"So this kid was _bitten _to death," Jack said, blatantly trying to degrade the results but at the same time failing to hide the look of shocked disgust on his face.

Zack nodded as Temperance continued reading the file.

"Who would want to have their teeth capped _that _sharp? Sounds like a dodgy dentist job to me," Booth bounced the rubber ball he'd found in his pocket of the floor of the lab and caught it with expert precision, dropping it once more and continuing it to an incredibly even beat.

Temperance placed the file on the desk on which the computer Angela was sat at and gave the ball a disapproving look 'some members of society belief themselves to be above and beyond the laws of nature'

"So what? Our killer thinks he's a vampire or something?" again with the ball, up and down, up and down, the rhythm never faltering.

"It would appear so," Temperance said absently "Angela have you got anything on the identity of the remains?" she queried.

Angela held up her sketch of the girl "I ran it through the computer and got a few matches," she turned back to the screen and brought up the matches to her sketch.

"There," Booth pointed to the third image "that one,"

Angela enlarged the image and the information along side it 'Holly Carson, age seventeen and half, reported missing just under a fortnight ago. Fits the profile' she glanced at Temperance who nodded for her to go on "um… her home address is apparently rarely occupied, emergency contact address is that of her father's work. Her mother died of womb cancer eighteen months ago,"

Temperance felt a twinge in her stomach at that, one hand moving discreetly to lie over her abdomen.

"Agent Winters!" Zack exclaimed looking at the doorway.

"Mornin' all!" Mack flashed them a smile that did not reach his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Temperance asked as Angela looked up from the computer screen.

"There's a Dwayne Carson in your office Tempe, says he needs to see you immediately," Mack announced "congratulations by the way."

"Mhhmm," she mumbled, walking passed Booth, snatching the ball mid bounce as she did so and up to her office.

Booth stared after her open mouthed, watching as she pocketed the ball, and glared playfully at Mack when he smirked at him.

* * *

"I want to see her!" Dwayne exclaimed, distraught and angered by this woman's inability to see why he needed to see his daughter.

"Mr Carson," Temperance said, after counting to ten in her head "she's… I'm sorry but I don't think that's a good idea,"

"She's my daughter!"

"She's dead Mr Carson. She doesn't even vaguely resemble the Holly you knew!" Her temper wearing thin. She wasn't sure why he thought he needed to see the remains of his two-week dead daughter because she knew from experience it wasn't the best thing for the grieving to witness.

"What do you mean she doesn't _resemble _herself? She's Holly!"

"Holly's been deceased for quite some time. Her skin has decomposed and her flesh is rotting away, riddled with maggots if you want to see that then go right a head but don't hold me responsible for it," she finally snapped, feeling to riled up to notice how pale Dwayne had just gone.

"Bones," Booth took her elbow and pulled her from her office with rather more force than he would have liked.

"What?" she spat.

"Calm down a moment okay?" he said quietly, not releasing her but she did not pull away so he took that as a good sign.

Reluctant to accept that maybe Booth was right but realising it was for the best she took a few deep breaths and looked at Dwayne who had collapsed in a chair, his head in his hands.

'Better?" Booth asked, drawing her into a hug.

"I… did I really just describe his daughter's remains to him?" she leant against his chest, comfortable for the time being.

Booth couldn't help but chuckle "in graphic detail,"

She pulled away "is he all right?"

"Hell his daughter's dead and he's just realised why it's not advisable he lays eyes on her remains, I'd say he's peachy keen," he was sarcastic.

She smacked his arm "that's not fair. I meant… ugh!" she went to go back in her office when Booth called out.

"Can I have my ball back?"

"Maybe later," she smiled at him before letting it slide from her face and an expression of remorse and sympathy took it's place "Mr Carson," she said "I'm sorry. It's just-"

"I know!" he wailed "I know why I shouldn't see her but I _want _too I can't… I can't believe my baby's gone… you were right-"

"I wasn't," she was shocked to find herself saying, even if it was the case "I should never have gotten so annoyed with you,"

"I have to see her though. Just to prove to myself she's really gone," he pleaded hazel eyes that, in his younger days, would have had women all over him. Now they were haunted and dead.

"Are you really sure you want to do that?" she gave him her full attention, allowing their eyes to meet something she rarely permitted to happen.

"I have to Doctor I have too,"

Temperance took a breath "okay," then as Booth entered again "this is my partner Special Agent Seeley Booth,"

To Booth "He wants to see his daughter," this was the hard part.

Accepting that it was a person they were working on. Yes they did that when referring to 'the victim' and 'the killer' but even when the identified the remains it was never referred to as their first name, they didn't get close.

Attached to the case or they would never get anywhere and every single one of them would spend at least an hour a week on a psychiatrist's couch.

"Are you sure sir?" Booth looked at Dwayne sincerely.

"Please," he said, "just let me see her,"

Booth nodded "want me to come with?" he asked Temperance as she followed Dwayne from her office and feeling a sense of warmth in his chest when she nodded.

* * *

"Are you quite sane Dr Brennan?" Doctor Goodman asked incredulously as they watched from just outside Temperance's office as Dwayne once more broke down sobbing in his hands.

"He wanted to see her. He deserved to have his wishes granted,"

"But…" Dr. Goodman could not think of a suitable way to continue the sentence.

"It was closure in a way." Booth said, "He had to see it to believe it. I know I would if anything ever happened to…" he left his sentence unfinished but the words 'my family' were still heard in the minds of all listening.

"We need to question him," Temperance said "see if he can think of anything, anyone who might have-"

"Not today," Mack said "not today,"

Temperance looked at him "we need to know if he knows anything!"

"The man can barely speak Tempe, we don't need to force this on him today. What exactly was the murder weapon anyway?" Mack asked the question as if he knew but refused to believe it until it was confirmed by someone who was one hundred percent positive about what they were doing.

"Teeth," Temperance looked stoically back through the glass "human teeth,"

_Author's Notes: That was short I know but at least you got an update right? I'm getting ideas left right and centre for another two fiks that although nothing to do with this fik or anything before it are still Bones and still the wonderful pairing of Brennan and Booth. If you would like to know more please do let me know as I am very dubious about posting at least one of them if not both. Thank you very much. XD_


	4. AB Negative

_Author's Notes: Both of the fictions mentioned previously have had the first chapter written and uploaded. One is called Enter Juliet and the other is called MIA and yeah I know the title for this chapter is odd._

Chapter 4: AB Negative.

Four days had passed since Dwayne Carson showing up at the Institution and Angela and Zack had managed to pulled up a list of names and addresses of people who had, had their teeth capped in the past five years.

Only problem was that there were over five hundred people who had, had such dental surgery in the area in that time period.

It was now late afternoon and having collected Parker from school he was now at the lab waiting for his father and 'Bones' to finish work.

"Looks like we're talking to Mr Carson then," Booth looked up from the list Angela had presented him with "Tempe you coming?"

Temperance nodded "Ange, can you try and get a death scene together? Profile the killer?"

Angela nodded.

"Zack," Booth spoke and felt a sick sense of amusement at the delight on the younger man's face upon being addressed "you got Parker right?"

Zack opened his mouth to speak but only resulted in looking like a goldfish out of water. Jack rolled his eyes "we've got him,"

Booth followed Temperance from the lab, unable to stop smiling.

"He genuinely believes it some sort of male communication thing you to have there," she said as they got into the SUV.

"If that's what he wants to think," he reversed out.

"Booth…" she said softly but did not continue and he did not speak either, at least not on that subject.

"So you think you're gonna manage to not cause the man to break down in tears again this time?" he teased, stopping at an red light and opening his window, setting his elbow to rest on the door.

When she did not reply he glanced at her and was surprised to see her staring straight at him "what?" he asked a little unnerved by the severity of her gaze "Bones? Look I'm sorry. I was just kidding you know that!" he punctuated the sentence with a soft pat to her knee and then slipping his hand into hers and squeezing it reassuringly.

"I know," she whispered, looking out of the tinted windows silently as he took his hand back to take the steering wheel again.

Sometimes reassurance is all you need but it wasn't something she was overjoyed about; needing to be reassured at all was a blow to her dignity as far as she was concerned.

No sooner had they pulled up outside Dwayne's club than Temperance's cell phone rang.

"Who is it?" Booth asked, locking the SUV and glancing over the top of the car.

"Parker," she replied, taking the call.

"Bones," Parker said "Zack said not to call you but Angela and Jack said you wouldn't be mad,"

"What's wrong?" she asked, not at all bothered by the phone call.

"Zack's being mean!" he said almost comically petulant and she couldn't stop herself from smiling.

"Put Zack on then," there was a disjointed yell of "Zack, your in trouble!" and some rustling before Zack took the phone.

"Doctor Brennan?" he said, watching Parker as he sat in Temperance's desk chair looking rather pleased with himself "I'm _not _being mean to him-"

"What does he want?"

"Ice cream and Angela said that it's nearly the end of the day so he'd be having dinner soon so he couldn't have any and then I agreed with her and then he came to your office and called you. I'm sorry-"

"Tell him he can have one after dinner,"

"Oh," Zack said as if it had only just dawned on him "thank you Doctor Brennan,"

Parker saying, "did she yell at you?" and Zack's reply of "no she did _not"_ before she ended the call and looked at Booth who was giving her an odd look.

"What was that about?" Booth asked as they made their way across the parking lot.

"Ice cream," and as she offered no further explanation Booth ascertained that his son was by all means perfectly okay and pushed open the front door.

"Mr Carson?" he called out "it's Special Agent Booth here from the FBI," when there was no reply he went towards the back room, opening the door and going inside to search for the man.

His voice echoed of the walls and Temperance strayed away, her heels clipping on the parquet dance floor as she looked around.

Front and centre of the far wall was an expensive looking stage, to the right was a bar, freshly cleaned with polished glasses lining the shelves behind neatly.

Above the stage were coloured spotlights and speakers in the top corners of the ceiling.

The sound of liquid hitting the floor behind her made Temperance turn slowly around, an ominous air filled the room and she braced herself for whatever she may see.

Blood. Droplets of blood splashing on the floor, not many maybe three or four but blood all the same. Dreading what she was about to see she looked up into the rafters where a body was tied.

Arms spread like a bird in flight and eyes wide with fear, the glassy look that so many people falsely dubbed the effect of the soul leaving the body. With no doubt in her mind what so ever she knew that she was looking at the body of Dwayne Carson.

"Booth," she called, and as he came out of the room in a hurry giving her a puzzled look "I think I've found Dwayne,"

* * *

Mid afternoon the following day and Zack entered Temperance's office with news on the body found in the club.

"I've got the autopsy on the body found at the club you and Booth went to earlier from pathology." Zack began, Jack was leaning over his shoulder, scanning the document in his colleague's hands and giving him a rather irritated look when he snapped the folder closed "it was definitely Mr Carson you found,"

Booth stopped drumming the pen he held on the palm of his hand and looked over his shoulder. He was sat in the chair opposite Temperance's desk as she sat at it, scanning the results for the tests she'd had run on Holly's remains.

Temperance looked up "and?"

Zack capitulated "it appears he was bitten multiply times and had died before he was strung up as you found him Doctor Brennan,"

As Temperance went back to doing something on screen and Booth went back to fiddling with the pen.

"There's something else," Zack said apprehensively.

Temperance looked up again "what?'"

He grimaced "Mr Carson died of severe blood loss and damage to the main artery in his neck, not only entry wounds but pressure as something left through that artery,"

"Zack…" Temperance said slowly, not quite sure what he was getting too, well maybe she was but she did not want to be correct.

"He was missing over five pints of blood Dr. Brennan. It's not likely he bled naturally from that wound. The damage caused by the pressure is too high for him to have bled to death naturally," his voice was quite and grave.

Booth glanced from Zack to Temperance who were staring at each other with grim expressions on their faces and Jack just looked horrified "can someone please elaborate?"

Temperance broke eye contact with her assistant "what Zack is saying is that whoever killed Mr Carson not only 'bit' him but sucked the blood from his veins also,"

Booth paled "how is the damage to high for him to have bled to death?"

"A wound to that area and the blood would at first gush out but within minutes it would be a sluggish pace, moving slowly. When blood is taken from a living person, say for tests, it flows out quickly because the heart is pumping it out but when it is drained from the dead it is very slow because it's not moving."

"For it to have caused the amount of damage for it to be noticeable it has to have been sucked out once the victim was nearly dead. If the killer was drinking straight from the source his main concern would have been not to drown or choke on the blood and so wouldn't have had chance to actually suck until the force of the flow had depleted,"

He set his jaw and a deadly look came to his eyes, he looked like he wanted to say something but wasn't sure what.

"There are certain members of society who believe themselves to be vampires although few actually kill people to get blood. They would go to a butcher to get it or something. Although good for you it is seriously lacking in many of the nutrients our bodies need to function as they should,"

Booth and Temperance sat looking at each other for a moment before he got to his feet abruptly and left without looking back.

* * *

The holographic projector was displaying an image of Holly Carson and circling her. The projection identical to the image that Temperance had seen nearly a week ago on Angela's sketchpad albeit this time the copy was in colour.

The young girl's short hair streaked with blues and pinks, wearing a complete version of the partial outfit that had been found on the skeletal remains. A loose cotton mini skirt and tank top. Her three-and-a-half-inch heels her most noticeable weakness.

Temperance glanced at Angela who typed something into the computer and another image came up.

Holly, without the aid of shoes, was five foot seven and a half, not short but not spectacularly tall either. The man that came to view next was not much taller than her, maybe about half a head.

The scene played out slowly and flickering slightly. Jack giving an approving nod and Zack blushing when it began with a rather intense moment in which Temperance nearly glared at Angela as it verged going into something far to personal to be reviewed. As it finished Angela began to justify her reasoning behind her analysis.

"The shoes that Holly had been wearing that night were brand new according to her father and she had never worn them before. Once the shoes had been cleaned it was easy to see that she had been running in them, although not for very long, they were scuffed along the heel and across the sides," Angela began "a friend of Holly's. Jason said he'd seen her leave with a guy he'd never seen before but Holly had been dating odd types ever since her mother died but he followed anyway,"

Temperance continued "Jason saw Holly and her date making out in the alley and decided to leave," she surmised.

Angela nodded "that's right. The rest of the scene is mostly guesses,"

Jack folded his arms and leaned back against the desk "Jason left after Holly and this guy got groiny. He showed Holly his pearly whites and she ran. He caught her and wham two weeks later she's in the lab,"

"So the assailant" Temperance said "medium height, slim build, dark hair. White?"

Angela nodded.

"Do we have a name?" Booth came in briskly.

"Not yet," Temperance replied "we're narrowing it down though. Anything in forensics?"

Booth shook his head "the clubs full of fingerprints, last counted over a hundred different ones and we can't trace them all,"

* * *

Siobhan Miller. Five foot eight, slim build, dark hair with equally dark eyes. The newest member in the cult was sat in the corner of the abandoned warehouse that Sinclair had dubbed his home. His lair.

"Who is she?" Rueben asked, taking his coat off and passing it to a passing girl who whispered "yes sir," before hanging it on the rack with the other belongings of the more important members of the group. There was a hierarchy and she was not high on the scale.

"Siobhan. Mace's sister," Sinclair replied, eyeing his second in command dubiously "where have you been?,"

Rueben smiled his lips and teeth still tinged pink from his escapades.

Sinclair rolled his eyes "do not get yourself caught Rueben, the last thing I need right now is the cops on my back," he closed his eyes and sighed deeply.

"You worry to much," Rueben answered casually, kicking back in the chair next to Sinclair who was reclining in the armchair next to the fire being stoked by a boy of no more than thirteen and lighting a cigarette "so what's the new chit's story?"

Sinclair sighed and opened one eye "don't know much about her. Came here, wanted to join and she's kept herself to herself ever since,"

"How long has she been here?" Rueben asked, flicking ash off his cigarette and onto the ratty ornamental carpet at their feet.

"'bout two months. Came shortly after her brother did," Sinclair closed his eyes again.

Rueben nodded approvingly and did not continue. Recognising the tone in his master's voice as one not to persist with. Sinclair treated him as an equal most of the time but would not accept disrespect from a subordinate no matter what the reason.

He shuddered at the memory of the last time he had back talked Sinclair.

Locked in the cupboard for a week, no interaction or contact with anyone of the others and no blood or food of any kind, his back aching from the beating he had received with such brutal force and intensity.

That man had, had the power to turn an arrogant, self-assured sixteen-year-old into a sobbing wreck and had done so without so much as batting an eyelid.

He hadn't made the same mistake in years. Twice that had happened. And after the first two months of his joining the clan he had learnt to monitor Sinclair's moods.

Twenty-two now and he had never once regretted joining, Sinclair was his master, protector, father, brother and shelter, he was the same to every single one of them, everyone who did not disobey that is. But even then he was forgiving.

Heartbroken and pleading, crying with fear and remorse and begging apologies on his knees the second time it had happened and Sinclair had hushed him.

Accepted the apologies and bestowed the most honoured gift in the world; he had allowed Rueben to drink from him, only a couple of mouthfuls but all the same it had never been heard of, at least not by him.

From that moment Rueben had never betrayed or disregarded an order from Sinclair. Rueben was Sinclair's prodigy and nothing; not even jealousy from the younger clan members would change that.

_Author's Notes: Vampire's are the strangest things and getting into their character… it's kinda scary actually, mind you I've done it before when I wrote my Angel fiction Addicted… yeah anyway, just um… Sinclair and Rueben have a very strange relationship but they also think their vampires so they're not gonna be normal…_


	5. Countdown

Chapter 5: Countdown.

"Is Agent Booth here?"

Dr. Goodman looked up from the papers he was perusing, one hand clutching a half-empty mug of coffee loosely. He frowned slightly at the teenager stood in front of him. Baggy jeans and a black t-shirt with the letters 'FCUK' written in a small white font across the chest, his ensemble completed by black wrist bands and sneakers.

"A Doctor Brennan?"

"Who are you?" Goodman released his coffee mug and gave the boy his full attention.

"Jason," he replied, an air of exhaustion slipping into his tone, highlighting the dark rimmed eyes that, although Goodman knew it wasn't the eyeliner that a lot of the younger generations today seemed to sport, were that of lack of sleep "Jason Slater. I am… _was _a friend of Holly Carson's. I need to see either Agent Booth or Doctor Brennan,"

"Wait here,"

"Parker's going over William Fraser's tonight," Booth said watching Temperance as she pried gently into the chest cavity of a thirty-two year old male found in the basement of a new apartment block downtown.

Temperance nodded "what time is he coming home?" she asked absently "fractures to the fifth rib on the left and the third on the right," she muttered to herself.

"His mom's dropping him back at about seven,"

She nodded again.

Angela smiled to herself, sharing a look with Jack, as they both listened to the perfectly normal conversation between the two of them.

"Doesn't that bother you?" Zack said suddenly causing them all to freeze Doctor Brennan," he added, glancing at each of them nervously.

"Does what bother who?" Temperance's brow furrowed in confusion, her latex-gloved hands sticky with semi-dry, rotting blood.

"The smell…" he trailed of "the … you know…" he flushed slightly as if realising the oddity in the question and the fool he felt he was making of himself.

Thankfully she was spared answering when Dr. Goodman came in "Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan," he announced "there's someone in my office that wants to see you,"

Temperance peeled off the gloves and through them in a nearby trashcan.

"They say who they are?" Booth asked as they followed Goodman from the lab, Temperance neglecting to remove her lab coat.

"Jason Slater" Goodman replied as he opened the door to his office, Jason was sat, spinning idly in the desk chair, coming to a sudden stop when he laid eyes on the two people he had requested to see.

"Can we talk to him in here?" Booth asked, glancing back at the ex-archaeologist.

Goodman nodded reluctance evident in his expression and left once more.

"Jason," Booth said, for the discretion of his partner rather than for modesty's sake he guided her to take a seat before following his own example.

Jason straightened in the chair "Agent Booth?"

"Yeah, Temper-,"

"-ance Brennan. I know," Jason said trailing of quietly, his entire demeanour changing, visibly slumping slightly from fatigue and grief.

"You knew Holly?" Temperance pressed.

"I know his name," Jason volunteered after a moment's uneasy silence "the guy who… who ki-killed Holly," frustration burned in his eyes as he stammered over the simple sentence, he tensed.

Booth's eyes widened a fraction and he glanced at Temperance who simply looked at Jason intently "what's his name Jason?" he asked softly.

"Rueben," he looked up "I dunno his last name but his name was Rueben,"

"Was there a Rueben on the list?" Booth looked once more at his partner whose gaze shifted to him almost instantly.

"I'll get Angela to check it,"

"What list?' Jason perked up a little 'list?"

Booth licked his lips absently "a list of people who… do you know how she died Jason?"

"He bit her didn't he?" Jason said sadly.

Booth frowned at his seeming acceptance of this brutal manner of murder, he didn't seem fazed by the thought in the slightest much against the frantic churning in his own stomach at the very thought of someone biting and drinking the blood of another human being.

"I knew. I knew what he was. What he claimed to be,"

"Did you tell her?"

"Hell yes I told her!" Jason snapped "if I didn't that would make me no better than him and I told her, I begged, I pleaded and she ignored me. She was drunk, I could see that much, inebriated to the point that she was grinning like a maniac and her eyes were dancing all over the place,"

"It's not your fault." Booth said, realising with forethought where this was going.

Jason was on his feet "not my fault? Of course it was my fault, I saw them," he leaned over the desk momentarily "I saw them in the alley, saw him kissing her… I didn't stop them!" he pushed away from the desk violently, furious with himself.

"Jason-" Temperance tried.

"I've known Holly my whole life. My whole damn life and I just froze. I didn't know what to do, I wanted to make her believe me but part of me…"

"You wanted to trust her," Temperance finished.

"I didn't… I don't…" Jason's eyes rolled and he collapsed to the floor with a thud.

"He's awake now Agent," Dr. McKenzie came from the room where Jason lay in the stark white hospital bed "five minutes. No more,"

Booth nodded and let himself into the room. Temperance had gone back to the lab to get Angela to search the name Rueben on the list of names she'd concocted who had received the dental surgery.

"Jason," he shut the door softly behind him.

Jason didn't turn his head away from staring in the opposite direction to the man addressing him, his left hand connected to an IV and a hospital band around his right wrist. He looked thin in the flimsy hospital gown and the numerous standard-issue blankets that swamped his figure.

Booth took a seat in the hard plastic chair by the bed, waiting.

"Eighteen hours and forty-eight minutes," Jason said minutes later.

Booth didn't speak rather let him speak when he was ready.

Jason turned his head "that's how much I've slept since Holly went missing,"

Booth opened his mouth to say something but the dead look in the grey eyes that stilled him with steely glare stopped him.

He looked up at the ceiling "really is amazing how true the commercial's are," he smirked at Booth's confused expression "energy drinks and sheer will power… they get you anywhere," a haunted laugh escaped his lips.

"Nineteen hours sleep in nearly a month Jason…" Booth trailed off.

"I know. Doc says it's amazing I haven't collapsed before now. Funny how grief can do that to a person,"

"She was more than a friend wasn't she?"

Jason gave a sickly smile "in my eyes. She'd never have been interested in little ol' me," he laughed again, attempting to cover a coughing fit that caused Booth to be on his feet and passing him a glass of water.

"Eighteen hours and forty-eight minutes I've slept in twenty-four days," he began "seventy-nine hours and twenty-two minutes time and I won't have seen her for exactly a month," off Booth's look "I'm good with numbers,"

"Rueben Summers, aged twenty-two, from North Carolina," Angela reported "had dental surgery in the April of… 2000,"

"We got an address?" Booth asked, his arms folded as he leaned against the wall.

"No' Angela frowned "he paid rent to an apartment downtown for about sixteen months but he stopped paying rent on it nearly two years ago now,"

"Do we have like a cult base or something?' Booth unfolded his arms and straightened up "Jason said something about an old warehouse that he thought Rueben might frequent,"

Angela nodded "it's worth checking it out. But you don't have an physical evidence,"

"He's suspect because someone saw him. All we have to do is check to see if his teeth fit the abrasions and the holes in Holly's shoulder," Jack put forward stoically.

"Right,"

"FBI!" the door of the warehouse slammed open as Booth, Mack and his back up team stormed through them, guns poised and ready to fire.

Sinclair looked at Rueben who under the intensity of the glare found himself ducking his head, avoiding looking at the older man and finding his feet far more interesting.

"Can I help you?" Sinclair said politely, not moving from his position with his feet propped casually on his desk.

"We're looking for a Rueben Summers," Mack said, as he gave a hand gesture to the back up squad signalling them to remain ready but not to move forward without another signal.

"He's not here right now can I take a message?" he seemed almost mocking, sparing another glance to Rueben as he tried to slip out of sight, freezing him in place.

"Mind if we take a look around?" Booth said, contemplating holstering his gun but after a glance round at the number of people in the building deciding against it.

Rueben felt himself shaking under the pure malice and disapproval in Sinclair's eyes. The memories of the punishment for mistakes long since forgotten in his eyes coming forth with fierce abandon, crashing down on him like wave after wave

He knew he couldn't take out that many people and even so he would still have to face his master afterwards. He would do best to give himself up for now and escape later.

He found himself stepping forward and announcing 'I'm here' before he could even stop himself.

_Author's Notes: Kinda short? I know. More as soon as I can. _


	6. According to Plan

_Author's Notes: Sod's law ain't it? When I FINALLY get inspiration to write some more it has to be when I'm supposed to be doing homework! __More fluff/tickling fun! – Holy … that sounds bad! Then there's mush, god I'm bad at that! Lol. Enjoy, throw up and be merry!_

Chapter 6: According to Plan

"Careful sweetie!" Angela exclaimed "Zack get it!"

Temperance scowled, unable to do much else as the box of case files was snatched from her grasp by the grad student "Zack!" she protested as he placed the box down on her desk "I am more than capable of-"

"In your condition Doctor Brennan-"

She narrowed her eyes and glared at him, arms folded expectantly "my condition?" her voice dangerously low.

Zack flushed a little, suddenly rather uncomfortable and his face declaring a defiant expression of 'get me the hell outta here' he gestured in the general direction of her abdomen "you know the-"

"Baby?" Booth entered the office, grinning seductively and his ears pinking to match the colour Temperance went as he realised that she wasn't alone.

"Yes!" Zack exclaimed, delighted that the word had been found for him.

Booth frowned, "I was talking to her," he pointed at Temperance.

Angela snorted and hid her head behind a curtain of hair that fell from behind her ear.

"I wasn't… I mean…" Zack blushed even harder and scampered from the office, leaving three laughing colleagues in his wake.

"What's he on?" Booth asked, looking after the young man.

"What is it you want?' Temperance asked, lifting the box once more only to have it removed from her hold by Booth this time as he placed it on her chair.

Angela gave a small wave and went back into the lab only to be hauled into another trivial dispute with Jack and Zack.

"Just to see you?" he whispered, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms round her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder and swaying them both slightly to a beat she could not hear.

Despite her answer she did not pull away "I'm busy,"

"I can see that," he breathed huskily into her throat and she felt her knees buckle slightly.

"Booth…" she jabbed him playfully in the stomach with her elbow and he melodramatically pulled away and hugged his abdomen for a moment.

"What's wrong?" he said, touching her elbow and turning her to face him so she was effectively pinned between him and the desk.

"Nothing's wrong," she said squirming to get free and starting to get mildly irritated by his antics.

"Liar," he grinned, poking her ribs and chuckling when she yelped.

"Don't do that!" she regained her composure, glancing anxiously out of the open door.

"What this?" he poked her again, then again as she once more made a noise that was a cross between a laugh and protest.

"Yes!" she insisted.

"Tell me what's up then," he allowed her a small amount of space to escape as he continued to poke her.

"No!" she backed round the desk, eyes twinkling, as he followed her like a predator would his prey.

"Bones," he growled low in his throat.

She narrowed her eyes at him as she had found her way back to her side of the desk and lifted the box onto the desk, rummaging through it until she found the right file and began flicking through the numerous pages.

Booth grinned madly as he paused, waiting for her to become fully absorbed in her work before he crept round the desk, mindful to create any noise at all as he slipped behind her.

"Booth?" Temperance looked up, glancing round, frowning when she could not see him "Seeley?" she screamed in shock as ten nimble fingers began their steady dance across her ribs, papers flying everywhere as she fell backwards, failing to gain purchase on anything to keep her upright she pitched backwards.

"Well hello beautiful," Booth's grin was as cheesy as his line, his arms coming to wrap around her waist as he relaxed in the comfortable leather chair. The chair's owner fully ensconced sideways in his lap.

Breathless, she didn't try to move, but relaxed against him, surprising him and yet delighting him also. She, however, preferred not to think about it.

"Wanna tell me now?" he muttered against her hair.

She lifted her head, initiating a soft, sweet kiss "doesn't matter," her lips met his again, like satin to touch.

His hands moved from her lap up to cup her face "I love you," he announced sincerely, brushing his thumbs across her cheekbones lightly.

"Love you too," she breathed as he released her head again and after a fleeting moment of wondering what she would do if someone should come into her office she ignored it, there were times when what everyone else thought didn't matter, she settled her head against his shoulder again. Content.

* * *

"Parker's in bed,"

Temperance nodded, frowning at the phone in her hand with her head inclined to one side, she saw through the corner of her eye him waiting for some sort of verbal confirmation that she had heard him and that he wasn't talking to himself "good," she found herself saying.

"What's wrong?" he took a step closer and she looked up, resembling a startled rabbit in the headlights for a moment.

"June fifteenth,"

"What about it?" He frowned… June fifteenth… June fifteenth… nope, nothing came to mind.

"Ultrasound," she whispered still staring at the phone as if she was still incapable of accepting what was actually happening.

"Tempe," he took another tentative step forwards, hesitant and his eyebrows knitted together in a concerned frown.

She placed the handset back in its cradle and looked him straight in the eye "there's a life inside me Seeley, a real human life and it's depending on me to survive."

The look she gave him was one of awe and of mild confusion, like understanding was something far beyond what she felt she was capable of. "There… there are two hearts inside me, t-two stomachs… two sets of lungs," ever so often her hands would come up and lightly touch her temples it appeared that these hand gestures were part of some desperate attempt of getting her point across "it doesn't make sense,"

He saw her standing there, her blue eyes sparkling in the lamp light of his lounge, his reflection and the back of hers painted crystal clear in the window behind her.

"How could this have happened… it just… this wasn't planned. There was no… no… it's a baby, it's-it's a human baby," she glanced up incredulously then back at him again.

Folding her arms across her chest in what looked seriously like a protective gesture "how am I supposed to with everything I see every day bring a human child into the world?"

She was neither angry nor desperate, her voice wasn't rising and her body language was far from aggressive.

"You don't," Booth replied simply and at her sceptic look "_we _do. We bring this child into a world we know more about than most parents on this planet do. We protect it from terrors that no one else sees, and we give it a life that it not only deserves but we need to give. We show it everything we can and we will do it _together,"_ he pulled her to his chest and rested his cheek on the crown of her head, listening to the sound of her breath and relishing the warmth of her body against his as it relaxed against his.

"Together?"

"Together," he echoed.


	7. Blue Tears

_Author's Notes: So sorry it's short but I was really stuck for ideas and it was just a case of; hey lets write whatever, wherever. This is literally and compilation of notes from the past few weeks written from being sat in my bed room watching Stargate SG1 down to shopping!_

_Yet more sap. /rolls eyes/_

Chapter 7: Blue Tears

"You're on your own with this one Bones,"

She scowled at her partner as he grinned at her rather feeble attempts to salvage the paper machè rocket that Parker had painstakingly forged the two days before from the deluge of water that had cascaded down upon it when the pitcher of liquid had slipped from her grasp.

"What's going on?' Angela asked as she came into the kitchen, startled when Temperance jumped to her feet, bolted behind her friend and slammed the kitchen door "Tempe?"

Temperance just pointed at the sodden model on the counter.

Angela followed her friend's finger and barely held back a smile at the 'remains'

"It's not funny!" Temperance exclaimed, surprising even herself at the petulance in her voice, blushing a little when Booth and Angela stared at her.

"What happened sweetie?" Angela asked gently, poking the rocket experimentally, and grimacing as sticky damp paint pasted her finger temporarily to the object.

Tears sprang to her eyes and she had no idea why, gliding down her cheeks and down the column of her throat "Parker spent hours making that," she choked out, having as little idea as to the sudden turn on of the waterworks as they did.

Angela swept across the room and hugged her friend insistently "sweetie it's okay," she breathed.

"Parker won't mind," Booth lay a hand on her back returning a smile to Angela as he did so 'he might even let you help him make another'

She pulled away from her friend with a sniff, wiping her eyes on the back of her hand and giving Booth a watery look "why am I even crying?"

"Hormones sweetie," Angela said, rubbing her back soothingly "it's all part of the pregnancy,"

Temperance nodded, hurrying over to the rocket and attempting once more to save the creation. Angela watched her for a moment before touching Booth's arm briefly and leaving.

"Doctor's appointment is at eleven thirty," Temperance said, harnessing control of her voice once more, wiping her eyes again.

He nodded and waited.

She turned around, leaning back on the counter. "I'm crying Booth," she said matter-of-factly "and I don't understand why." She started shaking again and Booth's heart nearly broke to see her standing there fighting back tears she had every right to cry "'it's a stupid paper machè rocket for god's sake!" she ran her fingers through her hair desperately "and I'm crying over it!"

He went to embrace her and she shied away "don't," she almost begged "please just don't touch me,"

He stood there helplessly watching as she pulled herself into a getting-far-to-familiar self hug "Tempe…" he trailed off the rest of his unsaid sentence hanging in the air between them.

"Three months Seeley," she looked up, her hold tightening "three months pregnant with a child I don't think I can have,"

"Yes you can Bones!" he exclaimed in earnest "you can!"

"How?" she spat "how? I have work, I have you and… and Parker and… dammit I can't do this!"

Hormones, he thought, it's just hormones it will pass and she'll be fine and then we can have breakfast, get Parker off to Angela's, go to the doctor's and then … and then… what then? This was new; it wasn't something he knew how to deal with.

"I'm sorry," she shook her head, tears overflowing again "I'm so sorry,"

She sounded so defeated, so lost he ignored her earlier protestations and arguments and embraced her tightly, tucking her head under his chin and swaying in a way it was almost unnoticeable.

The waiting room was packed with heavily pregnant women, the tummies round and plump, hands laid over the bumps in protective gestures and a low whisper of chatter flitted through the room. Mothers-to-be again from what appeared to be about sixteen right up to about thirty-five.

"This is… maybe today isn't a good day-"

Booth caught her arm "yes it is," he turned her and pushed her towards a seat, taking the one next to it whilst giving everyone who had turned to look at them a dangerous look. They all went back to their idle chit-chat and magazines "this is the perfect day,"

Their arms interlocked at the elbows he slid his hand under hers and closed his fingers between her relaxed ones "it's fine,"

"Blue," she said abruptly, as if half of what she was planning on saying had only occurred in her head.

Not fully fluent in gutted-Brennan-talk yet Booth responded "huh?"

"The picture," she said matter of factly, giving him a look as if she thought he were completely stupid "its going to be blue"

Booth nodded, taking a deep breath; this day was going to be a long one. Mood swings appearing out of no where with about as much courtesy as spoilt two-year-old.

"Thank you," she mumbled, showing a rare sign of affection and resting her head on his shoulder with a sigh.

"For what?" he asked, looking at their interlocked hands in his lap.

"Everything,"

He smiled "any time,"

"Dr. Brennan?" the nurse called from the doorway to the doctor's office twenty minutes later, a pleasant smile on her face.

"That's your call," Booth got to his feet, Temperance following his example, both ignoring the handful of heads that looked up at the title.

The room was painted cream with white ceiling, tiled flooring and a ruby-red-ornamental carpet by the desk.

"Doctor Brighton," the young male doctor said, holding out a hand and shaking both Booth's and Temperance's with cheery candour "take a seat on the bed please Dr. Brennan,"

Temperance, with a newly found certainty did exactly as she was told.

"Now," he looked at her file and adjusted his thick framed designer glasses 'three months pregnant am I right?' he asked, glancing at them both.

"Yep," Booth, hands in his pockets rocked back on his heels and flashed a smile to Temperance "three months,"

"Well let's just check then shall we?" Brighton got to his feet, file in hand then placed it on the foot of the bed "you two know how this is going to work?" he seemed a little relieved as both nodded and he produced a bottle of gel "this might be a little-"

"Cold," the parents-to-be-'again' said in unison.

Brighton smiled "yes," he said "can you lift your shirt please miss," he said, the term miss, nothing more than a way of indicating he was talking to her without too much of either formality or casualty. "This is a transducer," he explained holding up a hand held device "now, I'm going to use it to see if we can get a picture of what's going on in your uterus and see if your estimate is correct okay?"

Temperance lifted her shirt and flinched as the icy gel made contact with her skin, she kept watching Brighton's movements without comment as he moved the transducer to a still flat stomach and massaged the gel in.

"It might take me a moment to find a clear image – ah, here we go," Brighton grinned at Booth, then looked back to Temperance "can you see it?" he asked. Moving the transducer some more and pointing with his free hand to the screen where a flickering blue image floated into focus.

A tiny little figure on the screen, writhing just slightly in the sack of amniotic fluid it rested in.

"Three months is definitely about right," Brighton said "now," he ran a finger across the baby's back "at this point it's skeletal structure just finished being formed and all of it's organ's should be fully functioning and as far as I can see it's all clear." He trailed off, noticing that not for the first time his words held little value in comparison with the first view of a child.

"Seeley!" Temperance exclaimed, smiling like an excited school girl "look!" all feeling of anxiety and worry drifted away as she laid eyes on her baby for the first time.

A feeling she had never had before and never dreamt of having warmed her from head to toe and shook her more deeply than any mutilated body could, than any sadistic laugh of a killer could make. This was all encompassing, powerful "it's… it's… Seeley!" a minute little baby and it was hers, his, _theirs._

Booth's smiled could of split his face in two "I see it," he placated her, a sense of completion rushing over him as she seized his hand in a tight grip and would not let go.

"Now I can't tell you whether it's male or female at this age but at your next appointment we should be able to make a reasonably accurate guess," Brighton could not keep his smile to himself.

The wonders of his job, the sight of their tiny baby could turn the most strong of character, most arrogant of persons to putty in his hands. Knowing he could bring a smile like that on these two's faces to every man and woman who entered his office as a patient was magic enough for him.

Booth just nodded, this was … this was amazing, that tiny thing, that wriggling little figure on the ultrasound monitor was his, his and Temperance's, a small part of him, and a small part of her and they had done it together.

"Do you want pictures?"

"Please," Temperance whispered, unable to tear her eyes away from the screen. How could she possibly have doubted her abilities? She could do this. She would do this. For her, for Seeley, for the baby.

_Author's Notes: Yes another short chapter but guys please understand that writing the way its going at the moment is really, really hard. I don't do fluff, romance, basically 'happy' it is genuinely really hard to do for me. (Plus I have two essays to write, a leaflet to compose on the effects of radiation poisoning (damn Stargate's Meridian!) and two pages of maths work I don't understand by tomorrow)_


	8. Passion in Death

_Disclaimer: I really thought I could get away with no songs for a while, it was just getting annoying but as it's a dance I didn't think it would hurt that much and it is one of my favourite songs ever; The Red Strokes by Garth Brooks._

_Author's Notes 1: I don't know how long it's been since I updated, but I do know it's been a while since I felt particularly "into" this story. I will admit it; I've been kinda lazy with this and then I kept getting ideas for Stargate SG1 fictions lol, I think right now I'm avoiding the ever-growing mountain of homework I have to do for Monday :) I always seem to have work to do /rolls eyes/ oh well!_

_Obviously I'm not gonna do every day of the pregnancy and it just gets boring if I keep saying how much time has past so it just sorta happens? This note is unnecessary I guess but /shrugs/ I have no idea when Brennan's birthday is so I'm just throwing it in at random because it seems like a nice touch. _

_Anyone here a fan of Hodgins/Angela? Well I think they kinda sweet, I probs won't take it anywhere but there's a cute little scene where she's… hang on, read the damn thing and find out! _

_**Warning: Strong language, non-consensual sex**_

_Italics are either the letter (divided from the rest of the text), the past or song lyrics :)_

Chapter 8: Passion in Death

_Life throws battles at ya, ya either fight or ya fly, ya make ya voice heard over the thousands of others that are screamin' at ya to shut up. But ya can only fight so hard before there's nothin' left in ya to save, before ya are to tired, to exhausted and in too much pain to keep goin'._

* * *

Miley paused, her pen poised over the paper as tears slipped from her chin and caused the ink of the letter to run. Sniffing she swiped at her eyes and put the pen down. Se felt both numb and in agony at the same time, her heart aching in her chest and her ribs protesting with every breath she took, her entire body ached as she wrote, not caring that she was writing how she spoke, her mother would understand it. She just didn't have the energy to worry about it anymore; she could barely move.

"_Ya stupid bitch! Can't ya do nothing right? You're nothing but a street whore!" the deep voice thundered through the house followed by a desperate shriek of terror from the woman the abuse was hurled at._

"_Ya gotta understand! I dinna mean it! I dinna mean it!" she begged and cried out as another blow rained down on her._

"_Ya don' know whatcha did wrong? You let him touch you! You let the mother-fucker touch you! No one touches what's mine bitch! No one!"_

She shook her head, the dark curls falling around her chestnut skin as she attempted to ignore the voices crying out in her head, the voices of herself and her partner merely hours before hand.

* * *

_Mamma you was right, Jim's not worth nothin', I wanna leave so bad but daddy said I couldn' come back an' … an'… mamma he hurts me so bad but I love him mamma! I love him! He was so sweet mamma, he said he lov'd me, I don't understan' what's goin' on no more, he went out a coupla months ago and came back all strange nigh on a week later! It's like he's not Jim no more and when I as' 'bout it he just yells more._

* * *

_She curled further in on herself, screaming in agony as she heard, rather than felt another rib crack her breathing was becoming more and more laboured but she daren't lift her head for fear he might strike that too._

"_Baby, I'm so sorry!" she wailed "let me make it up to ya baby, please!"_

"_Make it up to me?" he sneered "Mils, somethin's already up," he grabbed at her arms and hoisted her to her feet, his voice dangerously low_

"_Jim honey, please" she needed her inhaler and she needed it badly, she could see it on the nightstand by the phone if only he would – she hurled onto the bed. _

_She could feel her chest tightening, she couldn't breathe out and she fought back tears of fear as he unbuckled his belt and threw it aside. Her eyes widening in terror she scrambled up the bed towards the headboard "Jim don't, you don't know what ya doin'!" she gasped, surely he could hear her struggles? Surely he loved her enough to … to…_

_He growled and pulled her by the ankle down the bed so she was flat on her back "this'll teach ya to flirt ya little-" he straddled her legs and pinned her arms above her head with one hand whilst with the other he lifted her half ridden up skirt…_

Tears fell harder and once more her chest tightened feeling the cold hard plastic of her inhaler in her left hand she lifted one fatigued arm and held the device to her mouth, pumping it once to get the medication to her lungs. Did she even want to breathe anymore?

_Panting heavily as he unbuttoned his jeans and tugged her panties down to her knees; he was oblivious to his partner's screams of pain and fear. _

_Ignoring every word she spoke until one last-ditch attempt to save herself she could not understand at that point why she had not spoken sooner she howled at the top of her lungs "rape!" and he stopped. Staring down at his victim frozen in terror, pale and covered in a sheen of sweat that glistened in the lamplight. Within seconds he had redressed himself and hurtled out of the door._

* * *

_Ah know ah shoulda said somethin' sooner mamma but I lov'd 'im, I lov'd 'im so much I don't know what to do! Please mamma, help me, I still love you and daddy and li'l Liam, I dinna mean to run out on ya I just though' ya'd see but I was wrong! I was wrong!_

* * *

"Sweetcheeks?" a whisper from the doorway and she jumped.

Miley didn't speak, too afraid too as her… attacker, not her lover anymore, her attacker approached her with all the gentleness she had first known him to have, he sat next to her on the bed, drawing her to his chest and rubbing her tense back with one large palm. Despite herself she could feel her body melting against his, she did not care these were the hands of an attempted rapist and the culprits that caused the cuts, bruises and abrasions she had been forced to hide for months.

His hands paused and she tensed once more "what's this?" his voice cold and detached once more and her eyes snapped out of their reverie, her heart pounding in her ears as his eyes scanned the letter "ya plannin' on leavin'?"

She pulled away, choking on tears "n-no,"

"Ya was, you lyin' little bitch!" he deftly shredded the letter and through it into the air, relishing in the tears that overflowed.

"Jimmy, you been scarin' me so much lately, baby you nearly--" she was cut off as a large hand struck her across the face, the radiating sting moving from her cheek to the rest of her face.

"Stupid little whore, ya think I can't read bitch? Is that what ya think? Ya ain't going nowhere ya filthy slut,"

Ignoring the protestations of her strained and over-abused body she scrambled from the bed, trying her best to keep the terror from her face as she felt a stabbing pain in her chest and her tremors became more obvious.

Backing against the wall she mouthed pleas of reprieve to little success, salty tears stinging the deep cut on her left cheek as she wept.

"Get back here slut!" his voice loud and dangerous.

God why won't anyone hear? Why, why did she move in with him? Why did she leave the comfort and warmth of her parent's house in the city? Why move all the way out here… to this squalor?

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," her chants like a mantra and barely audible as she shook her head, desperately pressing herself further into the wall.

He snatched up her wrist and hauled her away from the wall, and dropping her carelessly onto the bed, dark spots danced before her eyes and she was screaming, and crying, there was pain, so much pain but she couldn't stop him. Then there was only darkness.

* * *

Temperance frowned and turned the black dress Angela had talked her into buying complimenting her figure, enunciating every curve and shimmering with every movement. Unfortunately, these 'curves' it highlighted? Also included the now not-so-discreet one that was her stomach.

"Bones," Booth peeked his head into the bedroom "you nearly ready?"

"Hmm?" she looked over her shoulder at him absently then back at the mirror, smoothing one hand meticulously over her 'bump' and glancing back at her reflection "almost,"

Booth grinned, enthralled by the natural highlights in Temperance's hair shift and sparkle in the light, the carefully positioned curls moving just a fraction with every breath she took "you look fine Bones,"

Her head snapped round and he rephrased it "you look beautiful," he said "now let's go?"

* * *

Temperance shivered despite the thick heat of the nightclub, the flashing lights and pounding music making the room seem that much smaller. Sat at the booth in the corner, a bottle of lemonade in front of her, accompanied by Jack's beer, Angela's tequila and Booth's Pepsi. She smiled, he'd casually shrugged of the idea of any alcohol, everyone seeing through the 'really, I'm not in the mood for it tonight' as a not-so-discreet way of joining her in the 'no alcohol' idea.

It was getting easier. A year ago she would have laughed at the idea, her and Seeley Booth? Her pregnant by Seeley Booth? It was absurd, an insane idea lived out only dreams and fantasies but now it was real, it was happening and she couldn't be more content.

The world is full of junkies and murderers, rapists, thieves, men who beat their wives and vice versa, sadists, anarchists, those who had the nerve to call themselves artists that revelled in torture and pain and those who just simply loved to see the blood and hear the screams. She'd never wanted children, another person for someone to hurt, for her to loose but this feeling… it was phenomenal.

"Hey," Angela was panting delicately for air as she took her seat next to Temperance who was currently smirking as Jack was blown off by yet another woman "come and dance," the goofy smile on her face a tell-tale sign that she was already tipsy.

She shook her head "I'd really rather-" too late, her hand was already clamped tightly into the young woman's hand and she was being tugged towards the dance floor.

The flashing lights slowed their up beat frantic sparking and plain white lights illuminated the dance floor in a gentle glow. Fitting into the beat of a song, far softer than the one before, the dulcet tones of the kareoke singer on stage filling the heavy air and suddenly she was very aware of every body in the room.

It took her far to long, she believed, to find that Angela was no where to be seen and she was pressed against a firm body, held there by muscled but not overpowering arms.

"Hey," he was breathless and a light sheen of sweat covered his body, dark eyes bright and focussed only on her, a brilliant smile one his face.

_Moonlight on canvas, midnight and wine,_

_Two shadows starting to softly combine,_

_The picture they're painting,_

_Is one of the heart,_

_And to those who have seen it,_

_It's a true work of art,_

"Hey," she replied, unable to say much else, transfixed by the almost ethereal glow that surrounded him from the lights, she was aware that she was turning in slow circles and oddly unaware of where she ended and he began.

The air heavy with dry ice, which strangely did not dim the burning temperatures or lust that, laced it at measures that both alarmed her and blanketed her in a proverbial veil of protection.

"Some couple over there requested it,"

It took her a moment to realise that he was talking then what he was talking about, then that she had asked a question at all "the song," she muttered, more to herself than to him, he laughed anyway.

"Yeah Bones," he pressed her closer to him, resting his chin atop her head "the song,"

_Oh, the red strokes,_

_Passions uncaged,_

_Thundering moments of tenderness rage,_

_Oh, the red strokes,_

_Tempered and strong,_

_Burning the night like the dawn,_

Giving in too temptation she closed her eyes and relaxed against him, allowing him to take complete control and sway them both to the beat of the music. The taps of heels on the parquet floor dull and only audible when listened for.

Angela watched from the booth she and Jack and taken up 'guard' of when Temperance had been 'handed over' to Booth. Sipping her fifth drink of the night once Jack had given it to her, each drink had been different, and each one just as welcomed as the last.

Dropping the change into his pocket Jack took his seat next to her, beer in hand. She smiled to herself, subconsciously leaning into her co-worker's personal space as she slipped down in her seat.

_Steam on the window, salt in a kiss,_

_Two hearts have never pounded like this,_

_Inspired by a vision,_

_That they can't command,_

_Erasing the borders,_

_With each brush of a hand,_

Jack watched the couple in the centre of the dance floor with a fascination he found to be misplaced. He liked to believe that he didn't intervene in their lives, he was the paranoid pessimist who always had an opinion to voice, but they… they were unique.

Observing office romances weren't really his idea of a good night but as usual his eyes were drawn to something other than what he wished they were.

_Oh, the red strokes,_

_Passions uncaged,_

_Thundering moments of tenderness rage,_

_Oh, the red strokes,_

_Tempered and strong,_

_Burning the night like the dawn,_

Their movements fluid and without fault. It was like something from one of those chick flicks he'd ended up watching whenever Angela chose something for her random decisions that they should have a 'movie night.' But even he could feel the passion in the room, which washed over everyone with fearless abandon, blanketing them in a veil of comfortable darkness.

A sudden light weight on his shoulder had him jerking his head round, ready to lash out and whatever it was, a smile attempted to creep onto his lips but he held it back as he recognised the head of dark curls resting there.

_Oh, the blues will be blue and the jealousies green,_

_But when love picks its shade it demands to be seen,_

"Angela?" he tried when he got his voice back, his voice barely a whisper for fear he would disturb her.

Although awake Angela remained silent, a deep sigh his only reply but more than enough to sate him, extricating his arm from beneath her he lay it across the back of the couch behind her and she settled more comfortably against him.

He was certain she was only peripherally, if that, aware of what she was doing. He shot Zack a threatening look when he took seat opposite the duo and raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth to query their positions. Zack obediently took heed of the silent warning.

_Oh, the red strokes,_

_Passions uncaged,_

_Thundering moments of tenderness rage,_

_Oh, the red strokes,_

_Fearlessly drawn,_

_Burning the night like the dawn,_

"Look," Booth breathed into Temperance's ear, his breath tickling her neck.

Her eyes flickered open and saw what he was also viewing, that smile still present with equal intensity to what it had been since before she had closed her eyes "I think Angela's drunk," she mused, an edge of laughter to her voice.

"Hodgins seems okay with it," he echoed her mirth, smirking as Jack glowered at Zack who was trying his best to avert his gaze from both of the couples in the room.

He was not succeeding as he seemed to be finding it rather hard to get his head around the fact that not only had Jack moved his arm so it rested around Angela's shoulders but she was also letting him without a word of complaint.

The solace they had both found was rudely interrupted by the chiming of Booth's cell phone, pulling away from her he pulled it out of his pocket and answered it.

"Booth?" the agitation at the interruption blatantly obvious "it's for you," he held the phone out to his dance partner who took it, a confused expression on her face.

"Brennan,"

"I'm sorry to call you – where are you?" his voce incredulous as he cut himself off to ask the question.

"At a club downtown, what's wrong?"

"Why on earth are you – oh," he realised "happy birthday Doctor Brennan,"

She bit back a smile "thank you, now what's wrong?"

"Another set of remains has been found, a house near the wharf side in Wilmington, they were sent in a couple of hours ago, they had the anthropologist at the local university take a look before it was declared official FBI business,"

Temperance felt a surge of annoyance quell up, as competent as she was sure the good doctor was it was never the same working with second hand evidence.

"Doctor Tanashiko took good care Doctor Brennan, she's very good at her job and immediately recommended you when she recognised the oddity of the cases – she was the reason the FBI were called initially. That and the fact that the prime suspect was discovered dead in the next room although she thinks his was a suicide" he paused "she insisted she packed and sampled everything necessary herself,"

_Oh, the red strokes,_

_Passions uncaged,_

_Thundering moments of tenderness rage,_

_Oh, the red strokes,_

_Fearlessly drawn,_

_Burning the night like the dawn,_

"Is she still in Carolina?" she could feel herself fighting the subconscious urge to sway to the last few beats of the song.

"She brought the remains in herself Doctor Brennan, she was most insistent,"

Temperance felt the annoyance fade slightly, at least she could confer with someone who had not only seen the evidence first hand but knew what too look for and what to talk about. It wasn't preferable but it was better than nothing "I'm on my way," and she flipped the phone shut and handed it back to its owner who pocketed it deftly.

"What's up?"

_Steam on the window, salt in a kiss,_

_Two hearts have never pounded like this,_

"New case," she moved from the dance floor and back to the booth, pulling on her coat and picking up her bag she left the club without a word of explanation to anyone, Booth on her heels.

_Author's Notes: Please review!_


	9. Torpedo

_Author's Notes: I am so sorry that I haven't updated in… oh wow, nearly two years! I lost all inspiration for this fiction, in fact to be honest I don't really like any of the ones in this series, I like the storyline but I think I've betrayed the fundamental characters and my writing standard is significantly lower than most of the other things I've written.I would much like to go back and edit it all ruthlessly, in essence, do a complete rewrite but I don't really have the time, and as people seem to really enjoy what I've done so far I shall continue; I hope you enjoy it – as I am already aware that the characters are off, please don't criticize me for it and feel free to read other fictions, not in this series because they are much, much better. The first sort of page or so was written in November 2006, the rest in April 2008 so I have been trying! lol_

Chapter 9: Torpedo

Tanashiko looked more like a primary school teacher than a scientist, short and plump with a bubbly nature much like Angela's but at the same time as down to earth as Temperance. Her natural mothering nature had Zack blushing before he'd even stepped up to the table. Her dark hair was cropped and flecked with silver she seemed she did not try and hide, green eyes searing through Booth as he gave the remains on the table a rather disgusted look.

"Did I interrupt something?" she asked, looking Temperance up and down, her outfit extremely out of place in the lab but she herself looked unaware, already pulling on latex gloves and speaking into her tape recorder details about the skeleton shape, age and general state of being.

"Birthday party," Booth offered as he nodded goodbye to Jack as the spore specialist gave him a pointed look regarding the slumbering artist in the back seat of his car.

Tanashiko nodded "oh! My dear, I am so sorry, I shouldn'ta called,"

Temperance didn't look up "it doesn't matter, where were they found?"

"She was on the bed and he was in the living room, poor things, so young-"

"His teeth fit the indentations in her clavicle," Temperance dead panned as she glanced from the male's teeth to the holes in the female's neck, "it was violent," she said softly, eyes scanning the male's skull carefully.

Booth had long since learnt not to question how his partner managed to pick things up so quickly and without mistake. It was a mystery he did not want the answer too.

"And he shot himself," she stood up, contemplated putting her hands on her hips but stopping just short of staining her dress with the blood and decomposing flesh that stuck to the gloves.

The thought had her pausing a moment and pressing the back of her wrist to her mouth for a second; her stomach churning.

"Are you all right Doctor Brennan?" Zack pressed gently as Booth disappeared and returned with a glass of water.

"I'm fine," she said, recovering and pulling of the gloves and dropping them in the trash, taking the glass she sipped at it, nodding at Booth. "I'll get Angela to get us a face in the morning once Hodgins has taken samples of what he needs and Zack's cleaned the remains,"

"Honey why dontcha go and sit down? We can handle it out here,"

Temperance shook her head "I'm fine," she said off-handedly.

"She was an asthmatic," Zack reported.

Temperance nodded examining the shape of the sternum and what remained of the diaphragm; it was a slightly different shape than that which she would normally expect to see on someone without a breathing condition so that supported Zack's statement.

"Here," Booth took her wrist and pressed the glass of water into her hand "you need to sit down,"

She glared at him but it soon faded when she realised that he wasn't going to back down.

"Zack can do it," he assured her "I can take you home and we'll come back in the morning,"

Temperance shook her head. She needed to be _here._ This had never been a part of the plan. Everything had changed, so suddenly, so abruptly, she'd never wanted children; the idea of being a mother, of being responsible for another human being – another, entirely _defenceless_ human being – scared her more than she wanted to admit. Nevertheless she didn't have much of a choice in the matter.

"He's right honey," Tanashiko said softly "I can watch the kid whilst you two go on home,"

Booth could see she was still not entirely convinced "Parker's babysitter's only paid 'til midnight," he said, and whilst he knew that the girl wouldn't leave his son on his own, and would dutifully wait until he and Temperance got home, he hoped that it would convince the determined Forensic Anthropologist to see sense.

She was pregnant and it wasn't fun. She ached and felt tired all the time, she had to pee twice as much as she had before and all she could do was act like it wasn't bothering her because that's what she was good at; acting like nothing mattered. Like nothing got at her because that meant surrendering to emotion, and emotion got in the way of the things that mattered.

There was a murder victim lying on the table in front of her, her murderer and suicide victim on the one next to it. A series of occult slayings moving further and wider across the area they had originated from; she hadn't seen anything like this before, it was like something straight out of those absurd TV shows and movies Booth watched. It certainly didn't seem real.

"Fine," she said but only because she felt tired, it had nothing to do with the churning in her stomach because the baby was wriggling and writhing around, and it certainly had nothing to do with the nausea that was assaulting her because her sense had been heightened and adjusted to suit the outrageous hormone levels in her body.

* * *

"Thanks," Booth said again as the seventeen year old smiled at him and waved goodbye.

With the baby sitter gone he headed into the bedroom, checking briefly on Parker but the boy was sound asleep, curled up under the comforter.

"Bones," he said as he shut the bedroom door behind him "you okay?"

"I'm fine," she answered from the bathroom, taking off her earrings and toeing off her shoes before coming back into the main room "seriously Booth, I'm okay,"

"You sure?" he said.

She shook her head and ignored the comment. She hated the mood swings, one moment she couldn't be happier because everything she had thought she'd never wanted turned out to be precisely what she'd needed. For the first time since she was fifteen she had a family, and despite the fact she had never intended to have children because… well there were a hundred and one reasons why but none of them mattered… at least not every other hour but at the moment they did.

In the club, for example, she'd been content, her partner had refused alcoholic beverages on her behalf, she'd danced, the music had been pounding and the rhythm had felt almost soothing in some strange way. The throng of bodies and the waves of heat had been overwhelming but in a way that didn't make her feel claustrophobic or stuck.

But now it was different. Now it felt like this was all wrong, she didn't feel comfortable in her own body, she wanted _out_ but obviously, that wasn't possible. And to not only be feeling these strange sensations but thinking these completely irrational thoughts was, in actual fact, quite daunting.

Deciding it would be best to forgo that line of question Booth took off his jacket and started unbuttoning his shirt "so have you worked with her before?"

"Who?" she twisted as best she could and undid the zipper at the side of her dress – thank God for maternity wear, she mused, else it would have been at the back and she would have had to have asked Booth to unzip it, and at the moment, no offence to him, she didn't need to be touched by anyone else.

"Tanashiko,"

"Oh," she stepped out of the dress and proceeded to change into pyjamas "once or twice; she was a consultant for the labs in Quebec for a few months before she transferred to a university in Carolina,"

"Cool," he said because he wasn't sure how else to respond, he was just trying to make conversation.

Something was up with Brennan and he wasn't sure what. If he asked directly he knew she would deflect the question with a witty remark or a flippant 'I'm fine'; and he wasn't very good at puzzles really, he could connect the dots in a murder case, motive and reason, he could figure out what a criminal's next move might be but the one person whose signals he _should_ be able to read, he couldn't.

Temperance Brennan was an enigma, a year ago he would not have thought she would change for anything, she was stubborn and did as she pleased, regardless of what everyone else thought but at the same time she followed the book, doing what needed to be done in her own, little way. What he considered to be random and impulsive from her was calculated and measured in her head; she connected the dots in a totally different way, forming an abstract picture that would have made Picasso proud.

But then something had happened, Rebecca had been murdered, Parker traumatized and he'd jumped, taken the bullet intended for one or the other of them and the intensity of that fear had taken him aback because it didn't matter which one – Temperance or Parker – that bullet had been meant for, he would have reacted the same way. The coma had been an unfortunate side-effect but he wouldn't react any differently if he were put in the same situation again; God forbid.

He had vague memories of people talking to him, nurses, Angela, Hodgins, even Zack, but Bones' and Parker's voices rang higher than the rest, their words made sense, even if he couldn't remember precisely what they had said. His memory might have been somewhat lacking but he'd known, the moment he'd opened his eyes and seen _her_ that she was different.

The events following his being short had done something to change the Temperance Brennan he had known, oh he loved her, still did, and quite possibly had for a long time before the coma, he didn't know and it didn't matter for dwelling on it would show no purpose other than they painfully true words _should have noticed it sooner_ but all the same she was different; open to more obscure possibility.

Whilst he had always thought that her eyes had shown her emotions, the passion with which they were shown now made before seem like she was the Ice Queen because the floodgates had opened and she was there, more present than before. And if he knew even the smallest thing about this woman, he knew she hated showing how she felt unless the situations were dire, she'd even hated it when he hugged her if she was crying or scared, but the way she'd hold on told him a different story.

Back then he had known that if she was showing anything, if she was crying, then she needed him, and he had always been there and as far as he was concerned he always would be. But something was wrong and it was intimidating to think that he couldn't figure out what.

* * *

Siobhan ran her tongue over her teeth for what must have been the hundredth time since removing the false set of fangs she was forced to sport when in the company of Sinclair and his cronies. The others all had 'real ones', in that they went to a dentist and had their canines elongated and modified, strengthened to suit the purposes.

When she'd first studied Vampirism she had been reasonably certain that these so called 'Vampires' just drank blood – like from a butchers or, if they were more daring, a blood bank, and as a result many ended up sick, from lack of nutrition or HIV or something that was transferred via the blood because if they came from places such as blood banks, chances are it would have been black market.

Her parents had wanted nothing more to do with Mace after he joined the cult but she couldn't let it rest, for weeks it had been the one thing on her mind, and after bidding her parents farewell with the unspoken promise to return with her brother, she had had a set of 'fangs' constructed to fit her mouth because she wasn't going to have surgery just to go undercover but she had to fit in so they had to look as genuine as possible.

Again she ran her tongue across her incisors, they felt smooth and her mouth felt all morphed out of shape after having to wear the dentures for as long as she had; the car hummed beneath her fingers as she turned the wheel with a smooth flick of her wrist and pulled up outside the Hoover Building, the parking lot was dark and mostly unoccupied, glancing around she was satisfied to find that she was not visible to any of the CCTV cameras that were dotted around. Siobhan glanced at her watch and sighed; she had a long wait.

Settling back in her seat and closing her eyes, she shifted her right hand to rest on her opposite hip as she folded her arms; the familiar comfort of her pistol and its holster firm against her waist.

_Author's Notes: A little short but at least it's an update right? I am __so__ sorry for it taking so long to update!!_


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